3 Powerful Tools for Calming Looping Thoughts and Emotional Overwhelm
If you’ve ever felt trapped in your head, stuck in obsessive thoughts, or overwhelmed by emotions—you’re not alone. I’ve been there too, and I know how exhausting it can be.
What I’ve learned is this: when the mind won’t stop spinning, it’s often a sign that something deeper in the body wants to be seen and acknowledged. The anxiety, looping thoughts, or emotional intensity is a message—not a malfunction.
When I feel emotionally consumed, especially during times of uncertainty in relationships or major life transitions, I don’t try to escape the feeling. Instead, I come back to these three grounding practices that help me return to my body and feel more like myself again.
These are my go-to remedies for emotional overwhelm, and they work because they address the root: the nervous system, the emotional body, and the energy that’s trying to move.
1. Breathwork for Calming the Nervous System
When obsessive thinking takes over or I feel anxious, breathwork is my first tool. Conscious breathing slows everything down and helps bring me out of my head and into the present moment.
One of the most effective techniques I use is box breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4). Another is simply extending the exhale, which soothes the nervous system and brings immediate calm.
Breathwork for anxiety is powerful because it helps release trapped emotional energy. You don’t have to figure out the thoughts—you just have to breathe through them.
2. Yin Yoga for Releasing Emotional Tension
If I notice that I’m overthinking or emotionally overwhelmed, I know I’ve probably left my body. Yin yoga brings me back home.
Yin yoga is a slow, meditative practice where you hold postures for several minutes. It targets the deep connective tissues and helps release stored tension and emotion.
I often do poses like Supported Butterfly/ Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Benefits of this pose: gentle hip opening, calming and restorative, improved breathing, may alleviate menstrual discomfort, supports the spine.
Supported Fish (Matsyasana)
Benefits of this pose: opens the chest and shoulders, stretches the neck and upper back, promotes relaxation, may relieve constipation and menstrual cramps, improves respiratory health.
and Supported Child’s Pose (Salamba Balasana)—especially when I need to reconnect to my heart or soften anxiety in the belly. Practicing yin yoga for mental health has been one of the most transformative tools on my healing path.
Benefits of this pose: releases back and shoulder tension, calms the mind and facilitates sleep, soothes the central nervous system, aids digestion, offers a sense of security and grounding.
3. Herbal Remedies for a Calm Mind
Certain herbs are gentle yet incredibly effective in calming a busy mind and supporting the emotional body. These are my favorite herbal allies for emotional balance:
- Skullcap – calms the mind and supports emotional release
- Lemon balm – uplifts and soothes the nervous system
- Tulsi (Holy Basil) – a powerful adaptogen that brings mental clarity
- Passionflower – helps with circular thoughts and sleeplessness
You can brew these as teas, take them as tinctures, or combine them into a calming evening blend. These herbal remedies for calming the mind help create the inner space I need to truly listen to myself. If you’re looking for a gentle, grounding blend to support your nervous system, I’ve created a calming herbal tea for stress relief—made with organic herbs like lemon balm and tulsi. You can explore it in my shop and sip your way back to balance.
You’re Not Escaping—You’re Anchoring
These practices don’t bypass difficult feelings. They help me stay grounded through emotional overwhelm and hear the deeper message beneath the chaos. They remind me that I’m safe enough to feel it all.
In love, in uncertainty, in grief—our body always knows the way back. Grounding is how we transmute emotional energy, not suppress it.
So the next time your mind won’t stop spinning, remember:
You don’t need to silence your thoughts. You just need to come home to yourself.
Practice with me this somatic yoga lesson with acupressure for anxiety relief.
With love,
Marketa
